Melisende

From a shared FB post, I thought this may be of interest to members: Link here @ http://orbis.stanford.edu/

We've all heard the story of that mad Roman Emperor Caligula making his horse a Roman Consul, Ancient Origins, however, questions whether that may really have been the case or was Caligula's words actually taken out of context and re-purposed. What are your thoughts on this. We all know how words and their meanings can be misconstrued in our own times. I make a comparison to this with the story of King Arthur whereby I made mention (obviously not on this site but elsewhere) of how an oral tradition was extended and added to each time it came into contact with other culture (thus giving us the story and legends as we know them today). Could the same be said for the story of Caligula's Senatorial Equine - a case of Chinese whispers or of a good story getting in the way of the facts?.

From the Daily Mail:

From News Guardian comes this item on a new exhibition dedicated to: Exhibition runs "until September 10, across 10 sites in the North, including Wallsend’s Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths and Museum and the Hancock Museum in Newcastle."

The Scarlet & Black has an article on a presentation made by Harvard Classics profession, Kathleen Coleman, of the short life of Q. Sulpicius Maximus of Rome. An interesting snippet into the daily life of Rome's ordinary folk.

The Japan Times reports on finds at the Roman port of Caesarea:

An article in Haaretz online reports on the discovery of what is alleged to have been the summer home (palace / estates) of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161–180 C.E.). I thought this may be of interest.

Came across this intriguingly titled article in Forbes, discussing aspects of dress code for Rome during the 4th century as an indicator of stereotype (even a little Game of Thrones references thrown in for good measure - once you get past that the article is quite interesting); The link to the article is here @ Forbes

Has anyone seen this website - the Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire: http://dare.ht.lu.se/ Googles maps for the Roman Empire. Thought it might be of interest. ~ Mel Mods: Please feel free to more appropriate forum grouping if this is not the correct place to post.

Read More Here @ Yahoo News

We know of the Viking presence in Byzantium through the exploits documented in King Harold's Saga (King Harald Hardrada of Norway d.1066) and following the defeat of Harold at Hastings with the emergence of the Varangian Guard. See also: Military History & Warfare - The Varangian Guard of Constantinople Might also be interested in: Lost Anglo-Saxon Colony on Black Sea

I had the pleasure of getting my hands on a review copy of Harris' book - which I highly recommend. To me this will make an excellent entree into the fascinating Byzantine Empire. Thanks for the interview UNRV!

Has anyone else read "The Crimes of Elagabalus" by Martijn Icks?? The book is sub-titled "The life and legacy of Rome's decadent boy emperor" and so I was really looking forward to an indepeth (well as much is is possible) biography of this enigmatic young ma, the circumstances that brought him to the Purple and the events that lead to his downfall. However, whilst this was albeit covered, I was disappointed, finding the book to be more a dicourse on the historical literary representations than a study or history of the man (boy) and his reign. What did others think?

I really enjoyed this book by Elizabeth and intend on getting my hands on the next instalment in the saga - The Golden Dice. It was nice to read something of Rome before the time of the Republic and the Empire, especially as this was a period that I was not totally familiar with. Elisabeth's style of writing does not impinge on the readers enjoyment of the the story - in fact it enables the reader to become part of the story itself. Highly recommended.

I thank you all also!